GA-25-013 William Stephens - First Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Georgia

Marker text: William Stephens - First Grand Master, Grand Lodge Of Georgia, F&Am - Born Jan. 1752 At Beaulieu (Bulie) Near Savannah Of Distinguished English Ancestry William Stephens Was An Eminent Lawyer And Jurist during and after the War For Independence. Georgia's First Attorney-General He Was Also Chief Justice Of Georgia, Mayor Of Savannah and held Other Important Posts Of Honor. In 1802 President Thomas Jefferson Appointed him United States District Court Judge Which Position he held with distinction until just prior To His Death On 6 Aug. 1819. A dedicated Freemason he was worshipful master of Solomon's Lodge At Savannah prior to 1783. In 1791 He Was worshipful Master Of Another Savannah Lodge, Union No. 10 (Extinct). When The Grand Lodge Of Georgia, F. & A. M., was organized At Savannah On 16 Dec. 1786 As The Independent And Sovereign Masonic Power In Georgia, William Stephens Was Elected Grand Master and he served through 1788. In 1793 He Was Re-Elected Grand Master And Served Continuously Through 1813, A Record Of Longevity In That Exalted Masonic Office Never Since Equaled. The Honored Remains Of Grand Master Stephens Rest In The Colonial Cemetery Of Savannah. His Masonic Posterity, The Nearly 100,000 Freemasons Of Georgia, Will Ever Cherish His Memory. Marker Place By The Education & Historical Commission Of The Grand Lodge Of Georgia, F. & A. M., 1970